Boys & Girls

Raising kids from toddler to twelve. Character, chores, school, screens and the childhood they will thank you for.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

The Screen-Time ResetThe honest why, a 30-day reset challenge, 100 things to do instead and a family tech agreement you can print.Start the reset

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Nobody walks into the plumbing aisle on purpose

Ten lines from the busiest aisle on a Saturday morning, and the fix behind each one, so you're not the next guy holding a wet sandwich bag.

StoryTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

What Gets Said in Aisle Nine Before the Coffee Kicks In

A breaker labeled with a question mark, a paint chip called "wall color," and the real lessons hiding behind every line at the Saturday counter.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

Ask it

GuideCarsDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

How to jump a dead car, in the order it really happens

Red to dead, black to metal, and the one cable you'll swear you put in the trunk last winter. A correct jump start with the honest parts left in.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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GuideHomeWes DunbarOct 6, 20266 min

Getting the lights on the roof and yourself back off it

Every step is correct. The asides are what really happens. Holiday lights on the roofline, done safely, with only one trip back to the store.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 6, 20266 min

The Doorknob Hole in the Hallway, Fixed the Way It Really Goes

A patch nobody can find later takes three coats, two days and one door stop you should've installed in April. Every step, honestly.

GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 6, 20265 min

Your Mower Sat All Winter and Now It Has Opinions

The box says pull the cord. The box hasn't met your shed. How to wake a hibernating mower without wrecking your Saturday or your shoulder.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 6, 20265 min

How to Build Flat-Pack Furniture and Still Be Speaking Afterward

The box says two hours and one person. It's wrong about both, and the argument usually starts at step one, not step nine.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuideCarsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

Changing your own oil in the driveway, the way it really goes

The video says twenty minutes. Plan on ninety, a shower and one trip back to the parts store. You'll still come out ahead.

GuideHomeWes DunbarOct 6, 20266 min

Hanging a heavy picture straight on the first try

One frame, two hooks, zero extra holes. The way it really goes, plus the bathroom scale trick nobody mentions.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 6, 20265 min

Replacing a Toilet Flapper Takes Ten Minutes and Two Trips

The cheapest plumbing fix in the house, written the way it really goes, including the second trip to the store nobody plans for.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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ReviewTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

The Battery Shuffle, and the One Drill Grandpa Still Plugs In

Cordless wins the ladder, the yard and the attic. But there's one job where Grandpa's old cord still earns its keep.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

ReviewGadgetsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

The watch that keeps telling Grandpa to stand up

It buzzed while he was flat on his back under the sink. He has complaints, a few good jokes, and one concession that matters.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 6, 20266 min

The Bathroom Sink Clog Is Always Hair, and It's Always Gross

Skip the bottle of drain cleaner. A plastic strip, a bucket and twenty patient minutes clear almost every slow bathroom sink in the house.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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ReviewCarsWes DunbarOct 6, 20267 min

The new truck tugged the wheel and Grandpa checked the tie rods

Fifty years of backing up by turning around, one backup camera, and a lane assist system Grandpa calls "the passenger." He's half right.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

ReviewGadgetsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

A desk with a motor, and a chair that never needed one

The standing desk has presets, sensors and an app. Grandpa's old chair has a squeak he fixes with a wrench. They both stayed.

GuideRecipesWes DunbarOct 6, 20267 min

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls You Start Friday and Bake in Your Slippers

Do the work Friday night, and Saturday is just coffee, a 350-degree oven and a kitchen that smells like a bakery by 8 a.m.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

Ask it

GuideFoodWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

The hand without the knife is the one that cuts you

Pinch the blade, claw the food, and learn five cuts slowly. Speed takes care of itself once your other hand knows its job.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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ReviewGadgetsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

The robot vacuum that moved in under Grandpa's recliner

It cleans the floor every day. It also parks under his chair and calls for help. Grandpa has notes, and a few of them are right.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

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